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Asus Eee PC 4G Surf with Wireless, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB SSD

Saturday, May 31st, 2008 | Laptop and Notebook Computers, Reviews | No Comments

Little computers are becoming very popular, or so it would seem with the amount of hype around mini-sized laptops recently.

The Eee PC from Asus is heading up this movement to smaller, more portable computers, that tend to fit somewhere between a laptop, which is meant to cover as a full-time computer, and a PDA with a traditional operating system.

The Surf model has a few more features than the standard Eee PC.

Here are some of the features:

• 7″ screen
• 2 pounds
• 3 USB ports
• 1 VGA port
• Audio out / Mic in
• Intel Mobile CPU
• 512 MB RAM
• 4 GB solid state drive
• 10/100 Mb/s LAN
• Wireless connectivity (up to 54 Mb/s)

Personally I have quite an affinity for these little PCs. They offer everything that most people would want from a computer nowadays. Network connections are taken care of thanks to wireless and wired networking support.

The advantages of this computer lie mostly in it’s size and portability. It’s extremely light, and extremely small, not small enough for a pocket, but small enough to fit in a briefcase. The built-in operating system offers a web browser, document editors, messaging, media player and other standard software.

The downsides also have to do with reduced sizes. You’ll need an extra monitor and keyboard for prolonged use. The screen is too small for extended work, and the keyboard is not full-sized like a regular keyboard, it’s around 83% the size, which will make big hands feel cramped. The hard drive is only 4 GB, so no storage of DVDs. Linux OS is harder to upgrade. Although a new OS can be installed if you like, either Windows or another flavor of Linux.

Basically, I really like it. The best part is the price, it is cheap. It is functional and performs specific tasks very well. It lacks in power and storage space, but you can pay more for an 8 GB model or wait till more powerful ones are released in the future.

Tags: 7 inch, Asus, Eee PC, SSD, ultra-portable

OCZ Dual Channel 2.0 GB DDR3 1333 MHz Memory (2 x 1.0 GB)

Monday, May 19th, 2008 | News | No Comments

A big chunk of memory helps your computer run faster, by allowing frequently used information to be stored in high-speed RAM as opposed to the relatively slow hard drive. Windows XP required at least 512 MB to perform decently and Vista needs 1.0 GB or more.

2.0 GB gives more than enough for efficient running of Vista. The difference should be noticeable if upgrading from 512 MB or even from 1.0 GB. This is surely not the cheapest RAM on the market, but it is a quality product. At $120 it is a fair bit of cash to spend on an upgrade. However, the benefits would far outweigh those of a newer processor.

So far, DDR3 is only supported on Intel’s P35 motherboards, so you will most probably get these along with a motherboard upgrade.

Here are some of the basic specs:

• 2 x 1.0 GB
• 1333 MHz
• 9-9-9-26 timings
• DDR3
• 240-pins

I really can’t overstate the importance of memory in making your computer run smoothly. This pair make a great choice for memory and most likely won’t need an upgrade for quite a while to come.